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Welcome to our blog! This is a great spot to check out events and promotions and to get information on eyes and vision. We'd also love to get any feedback on our office or anything else you'd like to share.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/health/research/26blind.html?_r=3&partner=rss&emc=rss
The link above answers a similar philosophical question.  "If someone who has been blind from birth is suddenly cured, will they actually be able to see?"  Basically the article answers, "No - not at first." 

The study charts five children ages 8-17 that due to cataracts, were able to perceive light but not objects from birth.  After cataract surgery, all children measured an acuity that would allow them to discern objects, but when faced with the task of relating an object they knew by touch to one they could see, they were unable to do it initially.  However, after only three months, all children were able to complete the task.

I feel this teaches us two things about our vision.  First, we actually see with our brains, and those connections have to be made for us to make sense of what the eyes are telling us.  Second, our brains are adaptable to that new information - even after years of deprivation.  There is a school of thought that says children who have amblyopia or "lazy eye" cannot improve after the age of eight.  In this study, all children were over the age of eight and went from light perception to functional vision.

Chances of improving vision are better earlier, that is why we do infant exams (see www.infantsee.org), but even if that "window" of catching the problem before age eight has closed, improvements in vision can occur.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

We have a winner!

Katelyn, official owner of Carson Valley's ugliest glasses, will get to say goodbye to the Harry Potter look on Thursday, April 28 at our 3rd annual Spring into a New Look Trunk Show.  Help her choose a new look, and perhaps even find a new look for yourself as all frames will be 40% off during the event.  Visit our website for more info at http://www.somerjlyonsod.com

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Final Ugly Glasses Entries







This contestant was turned in by her husband, who said the following about her glasses:


"Hello Valley Eyecare!
I am nominating my wife, Megan for new glasses.  Our mischievious golden retriever puppy snuck her glasses off of the nightstand while she was in the shower, and she now has a pair of glasses which she can no longer use in public.  I am nominating her because she drives my children to and from school and drives with no correctional lenses.  (This gets interesting gat night.)  She needs to be able to see again!  Although I love her "squint face", it is time for a change."  
I particularly like the creative repair job!
These 15 year-old glasses don't get worn much in public, but when this patient brought them in for her eye exam, we thought they would be perfect!

Ugly Glasses Entry




 This entry was turned in by her future mother-in-law - Yikes!  Here's what she had to say:

"I am nominating my future daughter in law because...Well...take a look. Harry Potter glasses. Katelyn had a horrible injury at the age of 18 and while laid up in a wheelchair, she couldn't tend to her normal contact regiment, nor could she go out to the store...so, her mom went to a local warehouse store and picked out purple frames to match Katelyn's leg cast. She needs a frame makeover! Not Harry Potter frames."

Ugly Glasses Entries

This entry came from a patient who wears contact lenses as her main source of correction.  She happened to wear her eighteen-year-old glasses for her last exam and admitted she would rather be blurry than wear these in public.  I thought they were perfect for this contest!


This entrant was a little torn as to which pair of glasses had the best chance of winning.  They both are "great" in different ways.